Durban - Eight-year-old Kajol Naidoo from Johannesburg is a chess star in the making and the youngest chess champion in the country. The whizz-kid earned a gold medal at the African Youth Chess Championship in Windhoek,
Namibia last month.
After winning her division at the African Youth Chess Championship, Naidoo will compete in the World Cadet Chess Championship in Georgia later this year.
Naidoo’s journey in competitive chess started in in 2016 after coach Estelle Oberholzer of Chessnuts suggested that she compete in tournaments in order to improve her skills.
In 2016, she became the youngest player to compete in the South African Junior Chess Championship, aged just 5.
Naidoo has since competed in multiple tournaments and participated at the Commonwealth Youth Championship in India last year.
She practises extensively and has between two and three sessions weekly with coach Craig Bornheims, a former South
African champion.
“We are very proud and grateful for what those around us have done in support of Kajol. The sport is very expensive and not much is offered by government or corporates as sponsorship and support for the kids to reach their full potential,” said Naidoo’s father Gerard.
“Chess fundamentally contributes to thinking abilities and exercise of the mind towards creating disciplined, strategic and measured future leaders. It keeps kids in a safe environment and away from mischief whilst stimulating them and allowing them to make friends and possibly travel the world,” he added.
Naidoo hopes to become a Chess Grand Master as well as a teacher.
Apart from playing chess, she enjoys spending time with her pets which includes a fish, dog and bunny.